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I don’t buy a lot of blu-ray discs, but one that I highly recommend is the Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series [Blu-ray].  The only problem with the box set besides the excessive use of “digital grain” is the packaging.  It’s distinctive, but not very practical, with discs that slide in and out of cardboard boxes.  Universal Studios is replacing the packaging with something more conventional and useful.

See more pictures of the Battlestar Galactica Box Set.
 

Dear “Battlestar Galactica (2004): The Complete Series” Owner,

We are happy to announce that new packaging is available for your “Battlestar Galactica (2004): The Complete Series” set. The new packaging is comprised of conventional cases regularly used to store DVD or Blu-ray discs. Please note that we support consumers with U.S. mailing addresses only.

To receive new packaging, please remove the top and triangular flap of the Season One case included in your complete series set and send it to us, along with the following information and a copy of this correspondence:

Your name:

Street address or P.O. Box:

City:

State:

Zip

Format: BLU-RAY __________ DVD ____________

Send to:

Universal Studios Home Entertainment
c/o Deluxe Media Management
P. O. Box 801464
Valencia, CA 91380 – 1464

Please allow 4 to 6 weeks to receive the new packaging.

We hope that you will continue to enjoy “Battlestar Galactica” and future Universal releases.

Sincerely,

Consumer Relations

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT

NYTimes.com: G.M. Strikes Deal to Save Saab

General Motors said Tuesday that it had struck a preliminary deal to sell Saab to Spyker Cars, a tiny Dutch maker of high-end sports cars, saving the Swedish automaker from what seemed like certain extinction after previous bids for it collapsed.
…
Even so, taking over Saab will be a huge leap for tiny Spyker, which sells 30 to 50 made-to-order cars a year for about a quarter-million dollars each. In 2008, Saab produced more than 90,000 cars. Saab has 3,400 workers, mainly in Trollhattan, while Spyker has just 110.

Well, it looks like Saab is now rock solid.

Up until the tank falling out of the airplane part, this actually didn’t look too cheesy.  If they’re going to do cheesy, they should whip out the “cabbage gun”.  You can see the “cabbage gun” at minute 41 in the hulu video of the A-Team, season 2, episode 8 “Labor Pains”.

Businessweek.com: American Express Profit Surges as Spending Rebounds

American Express Co., the biggest U.S. credit-card issuer by purchases, said fourth-quarter profit more than doubled amid a surge in customer spending and lower expenses for future defaults.

Not coincidentally, the interest rate on my American Express Delta Skymiles card jumped in December from 11.25% to 14.5% a nearly 29% increase.  This is for new purchases and existing balances.  Congress is fighting against this type of increase on balances, but the credit cards are making changes before the law takes place.

From the WashingtonPost.com: Credit Card Issuers Raising Rates Ahead of New Law

The law, among other things, would prevent card companies from raising rates on existing balances unless the borrower was at least 60 days late and would require the original rate to be restored if payments are received on time for six months. The law would also require banks to get customers’ permission before allowing them to go over their limits, for which they would have to pay a fee.

I think any legislation should include a roll back of interest rates to a point before these rate increases have been implemented.  Otherwise the intent of the legislation would be lost.  It’s like closing the barn doors once the cows have gone.

Battlestar Galactica’s “prequel” Caprica premieres tonight 9PM on the Syfy Channel.  The story takes place 58 years before the events of Battlestar Galactica and follows the development of the Cylons and the decay of human society.

Jimmy Kimmel’s take on “the Late Night Wars”. 

From FederalTimes.com: For sale: Space shuttles, slightly used, bargain price!

NASA is now selling shuttles Atlantis and Endeavour for $28.8 million – nearly a third less than their original price tag of $42 million. (Shuttle Discovery has been promised to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy center in Northern Virginia, which currently houses the Enterprise prototype that never flew into space.)

$28.8 million sounds a lot for a museum piece, but paintings have sold for nearly 5 times more.  Still, it’s difficult to imagine that any science/air museum will be able to afford the costs of purchasing and exhibiting a space shuttle in this economy.

NYTimes.com: China to Pull Back ‘Avatar’ for Domestic Film

China only allows 20 foreign films a year to be shown in theaters. Industry analysts say China Film Group Corporation, a state-run enterprise, heavily influences if not controls decisions on how long and where foreign firms are shown.

David Wolf, the president and chief executive of Wolf Group Asia, a corporate consultancy based in Beijing, said that Chinese officials were apparently curbing the run of “Avatar” because they wanted to protect the box office returns of domestic films. He said “Avatar” has already run longer than the typical 10 days allowed for foreign films.

“From the indications I have seen, one, it is a purely commercial decision and two, it seems pretty much routine,” he said. “This is about making sure that Chinese films get their fair percentage of the money. This is a politically-driven cinema country, not a market-driven cinema country.”

When I read this article, I thought it was another article about Chinese censorship.  But, the reason Avatar is being pulled is to protect the Chinese movie industry.  Why is it that the Chinese are able to protect their industries while we allow whole sections of American industry to disappear?

Just yesterday, there was a story in the NYTimes: Glassmaking Thrives Offshore, but Is Declining in U.S., that describes the decline of the American glass industry and the fact that the new World Trade Center building in NYC will have its lower floors sheathed with glass from China.

A story about American Samoa and how it produces so many NFL players.  Features a short interview with Bengals players Jonathan Fanene and Domata Peko.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

CNN.com: Audiences experience ‘Avatar’ blues

James Cameron’s completely immersive spectacle “Avatar” may have been a little too real for some fans who say they have experienced depression and suicidal thoughts after seeing the film because they long to enjoy the beauty of the alien world Pandora.
…
“One can say my depression was twofold: I was depressed because I really wanted to live in Pandora, which seemed like such a perfect place, but I was also depressed and disgusted with the sight of our world, what we have done to Earth. I so much wanted to escape reality,” Hill said.
…
Within the fan community, suggestions for battling feelings of
depression after seeing the movie include things like playing “Avatar”
video games or downloading the movie soundtrack in addition to
encouraging members to relate to other people outside the virtual realm
and to seek out positive and constructive activities.

Otherwise known a getting a life.  Depression is real, but if it’s not Avatar getting you depressed, then it’s going to be something else. Maybe we need a warning that “this movie may cause you to think a little” or “may cause emotional reactions”.

I saw Avatar and enjoyed it.  It’s an entertaining film and a technical accomplishment, but the world of Pandora is not a virtual world anymore than the world of Harry Potter.  Yes, there’s a message to the movie- the best movies are those that make you think a little.  But, if you can’t handle the idea that Cameron’s putting forth, that humanity needs to stop using the Earth up at an unsustainable rate for its resources, then you’re not paying attention to the world around you.  It’s going on right now.